Rat guard



Aug. 30,1927. 1,641,081

N. HEYMANN RAT GUARD Original Filed May 9. 1925 \QITNESSES INVENTQR ATTORNEYS Patented Aug. 30, 1927.

; UNITED s'rArEs 1,641,081 PATENT OFFICE.

NATHAN HEYMANN, OF NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA.

. RAT GUARD.

Application-fileil-May 9',- 1925, Serial No. 29,181. "renewed Ma is, 1927.

My invention is a rat guard which is adapted to be secured in place on the mooring cable or hawser of a ship, toprevent'rat's from passing along thecable or hawser between th ship and a dock, and it consists in the combinations, constructions and arrangements herein described and claimed.

. An object of the invention is the provision of a rat guard which can be secured releasably yet firmly to a cable of anyone of a plurality of different sizes without there be ing any necessity of threading I the cable through an opening in the guard. A further object of the invention is the provision in a rat guard of a novel highly eflicient means for 'releasably securing the rat guard'in a desirable position onacable of any one of a plurality of different sizes.

A still further object of the invention is 32 the provision of a rat guard which can be applied to or removed from a cable quickly and easily, is not likely to get out of order easily or to be impaired by the weather or other causes in service, can .be manufactured as cheaply, and is thoroughly practical commercially. f l

- Other objectsuand advantages of the invention willbe apparent from the following description, considered in conjunction with to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view showing the improved rat guard applied to a cable.

Figure 2 is a central vertical section through the guard,

Figure 3 isa face view of the sections of the body of the guard separated from veach other,

Figure 4 is a perspective view of the binding ring which is comprised in the means that th invention provides for securing the body of the guard inplace upon a cable.

The body of the improved guard is made up of two sections 1 and 2 respectively each of which preferably is a segment of a circle, the section 1 being substantially semi-circular in outline while the section 2 is slightly greater in area. With this arrangement, the radial edge portions of the section 2 will overlap the corresponding edge portions of the section 1, as indicated at 3 in Fig. 1 when the sections 1 and 2 are arranged so that the body which these'sections form is circular in outline. The lapped portions of the two sections are detachably secured together by bolts 4 and nuts 5 or other suitable fastening devices.

The sections land 2 preferably are made of galvanized sheet metal but may be of any other suitable 'material which is sufficiently strong and rigid for the purpose'forn which the device is intended and is not likely to be impaired or detrimentally affected by the weather. I

The body of, the guard has a central opens ing whichis formed of two complementary notches or cut outs 6' and 7 in the sections 1 i and 2 respectively. This central opening is circular and is of slightly .greater diameter thanthe' largest cable or hawser to which the device is likel todbe a lied in the servis releasably held in place on the cable and $9 I is stayed against swinging flatwise against the cable when th cable is taut by fastening means which comprises a circular series of spring arms .9 which extends laterally of one face of the body 12 in concentric-re 55 lation to the central opening 6 7 of the body of the guard, the respective spring arms 9 having outwardly turned attaching portionslO at their inner ends and each of the attaching portions -10 being secured rigidly by rivets 11 to one of the sections 1 or 2 adjacent to the cut out or notch 6 or 7, as the case may be, in that section so that the spring arms 9 will be arranged in a circular series concentric to the central opening 67. as stated, when the sections 1 and 2 are secured together as hereinbefore described.

The outer end portions of the spring arms 9 may be bent or rolled outwardly and rearwardly as indicated as 12 to provide stops for preventing a binding or constricting ring 13 from slipping or sliding outwardly on the spring fingers 9 beyond the outer ends of such spring fingers. The binding or constricting ring 13 is a split ring made of- 'material possessing inherent resihencyand having outwardly turned cooperative lugs .14: as the meeting ends of the ring. The

shank of a bolt 15 extends through aligned apertures in the lugs 14 and is threadedly engaged by a nut 16.

From the foregoing description of the various parts of the device, the operation thereof may be readily understood. The body l--2 of the guard is arranged on a able 8 of a given size so that the cable passes through the central opening ot the body. The spring arms 9 then will extend laterally of the body ot' the guard alongside a portion of the cable and these spring lingers are forced inward and held in position to grip the cable by means of the binding ring 13 which can be adjusted through the agency at the bolt 15 and nut 16 to clamp the spring lingers or gripping members i) against a "able of any one of a plurality of dill'ercnt sizes. Since the spring lingers 9 engage with the cable for a considerable distance from the plane of the body ll or at a considerable distance from the plane of the body l2, it manifest that the body of the guard not only will be held against movement longitudinally of the cable but also will be held against oscillating or swinging llatwise from a plane which intersects the cable at right angles when the cable is taut. The guard therefore will be eli'ective to prevent rats {P0111 passing along the cable between a ship and a dock when the ship is moored to the dock by means of the "able. Oi course, the device can be secured -in )lace on an I other cable to arevent rats or other small animals from passing along the cable between the places at which the opposite ends of the cable are secured.

Obviously, the invention is susceptible of embodiment in forms other than that illnstrated in the accompanying drawings, and 1. therefore consider as my own all such modifications and adaptations thereof as fairly fall within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim 1. A rat guard comprising a body consisting of two cooperative plate sections having lapped portions at their adjacent edges, means for releasably securing the lapped portions of the two sections together, said sections being cooperatively formed to provide a central opening in the body and at the adjacent edges ot the sections when the sections are secured together, spring lingers secured to said sections in positions to term a circular series concentric with said cen tral opening, and an adjustalile binding ring encircling said spring lingers, said spring lingers having stops at the outer ends there of for preventing said binding rings from slipping from the outer ends of the spring lingers.

2. A rat guard con'iprising a body formed of two cooperative segniental plate sections having lapped adjacent edge portions, means for releasably securin said lapped edge portions together, said sections having comple' mentary cutouts in their adjacent edges to form a central opening in the body when the lapped edge portions of the sections are secured together, said central opening being adapted for the reception of a c: bio on which the body is to be secured, a series of spring lingers extending laterally of one side of the body in adjacent concentric relation to said central opening, a split binding ring encircling said spring lingers, and means adjustably connecting the meeting portions of said split binding ring for adjusting the ell'ective area of said binding ring to clamp said spring fingers to a c: bio of any one at a plurality of dillerent sizes NATHAN HEYMANN. 

